STATE BILL EXPANDING NURSES’ AUTHORITY STALLS

Sacramento 
A bill that seeks to grant nurse practitioners authority to see patients without doctor supervision fell two votes shy of moving forward in the state Assembly on Tuesday, though a similar bill aimed at expanding the role of pharmacists won unanimous support from legislators during a hearing.

Members of the Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protection voted 6-3 in support of the nurse practitioner bill (SB 491) with five abstentions; eight yes votes were needed for passage.

Sen. Edward Hernandez, D-West Covina, the bill’s sponsor, immediately moved for its reconsideration, which means that a second vote will be taken within one week.

At issue is whether nationally certified nurse practitioners should be able to perform a select set of primary care services, from prescribing medications to making a diagnosis, without the supervision of a doctor.

The California Medical Association has aggressively opposed the bill, saying that it is better to keep doctors in a supervisory role to insure patient safety.

Dr. Ted Mazer, communications director of the San Diego County Medical Society, applauded Tuesday’s vote. He said doctors have no problem with expanding the list of services that nurse practitioners can perform, but will not support independent practice.

But nurse practitioners say they will not give up on independent practice. Shelley Hawkins, director of the Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of San Diego, said many states have put independent practice laws in place with no negative consequences. She said studies show that independence is safe.

Senate Bill 493, which creates an “advanced practice” designation for pharmacists and allows them to directly administer certain contraceptives, vaccines and smoking-cessation treatments, passed the committee. It moved to the Assembly’s Committee on Health.